


Even after a mission

by themagnificentquack



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29970918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themagnificentquack/pseuds/themagnificentquack
Summary: laurel is never able to fall asleep after a mission, dinah tries to help her do that
Relationships: Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Even after a mission

Laurel followed Dinah in the door after a long mission, remembering belatedly to take off her muddy sneakers at the door.

Dinah laughed at her as she hurried back to the doormat. "Just for that I'm taking the first shower," she teased.

Laurel shrugged and agreed. She felt gross and there was blood on her knuckles and splattered across her arm, but she knew Dinah was the same and didn't see any reason why she should get to shower first. She wondered briefly if that was empathy, but she figured it was something more along the lines of infatuation. She'd been in love for months now.

Dinah disappeared upstairs and Laurel took a seat on the coffee table and twiddled her thumbs, her leg bouncing uncontrollably. She was still wound up from the mission, ready to let out a cry at moments notice.

She almost did when Dinah came down to tell her the shower was free, but she didn't get a chance to chastise herself before her mind got caught on the simple fact that Dinah was standing in front of her in nothing but a towel.

Her hair was down and Laurel could smell the lotion she put in it, could see how silky smooth it was against the slope of her collarbones. There was a small scar on her left shoulder and Laurel desperately wanted to know where it came from, wanted to know everything about her.

"Laur? You okay?" Dinah asked.

Laurel blushed fiercely and looked down at the ground. "Fine." She opened her mouth to say something else and then closed it immediately, afraid she was going to say something stupid like 'you look beautiful'.

She motioned to the bathroom and walked away with her towel and clothes, her cheeks red and her gaze planted firmly on the ground.

She planned to just take a quick shower, but once the heat started seeping in she felt herself relax and she ended up standing under the stream of water with her eyes closed until the heat ran out.

She dried herself off and got dressed in the bathroom, feel refreshed. She was still tired, but all she needed was a cup or two of coffee and she'd be ready to start her day.

She walked out of the bathroom and almost bumped into Dinah who was heading to her room, her hair wrapped under and scarf and a cup of tea in her hands. She looked up from her cup and smiled, the exhaustion obvious behind her eyes. "Good night Laur," she said, resting her hand briefly on Laurel's shoulder and then turning away.

Laurel furrowed her brow in confusion. "What, are you just going to lay in bed until morning?" she asked, slightly disbelieving.

Dinah turned back with a 'what the fuck' look on her face and said, "No, I'm gonna go to sleep."

Laurel's whole face scrunched up in shock. "You can fall asleep after a mission?" she asked, almost in awe. She'd ever talked about it with anyone, but she just assumed that no one else slep post-mission.

"You can't?" Dinah asked, an odd expression on her face.

"No," Laurel said, uncomfortable now that she knew she was the odd one out. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, trying to hide her insecurity with snark.

"I'm just worried," Dinah said, stepping forward and resting her hands gently on Laurel's arms, uncrossing them from their defensive position.

"Do you want to come lay with me?" she asked. "I might be able to help."

Laurel knew what she was going to say before Dinah even finished talking, but she paused for a moment to take a deep breath before saying, "Yeah, sure."

Dinah smiled at her, and there was a little bit of pride behind it, like she knew how hard it was for Laurel to accept help and was happy that she did. It filled Laurel's stomach with butterflies and only added to her jitteryness, but the second she took Dinah's outstretched hand her anxieties were muffled and all of the pleasant things about Dinah's presence were brought to the surface.

Dinah led Laurel into her room and turned off all the lights beside the one on her bedside table. She got into bed without preamble, and it really hit Laurel then what was about to happen. SHe sat hesitantly on the edge of the bed, focusing on her nails and not on the beautiful woman lying not two feet away from her.

"You want to cuddle?" Dinah asked softly.

Laurel's nervousness skyrocketed and she muttered, "Yeah, that- I actually haven't done that in a- well it's been awhile."

Dinah chuckled and Laurel risked a glance up. Dinah had such an incredible smile.

"C'mere," Dinah said, opening her arms to Laurel. "Do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?"

Laurel's face flushed red and her voice was barely audible when she said, "I want to hold you."

Dinah's face softened into something Laurel couldn't quite recognize and she smiled gently when she said, "I'm glad you're here Laur."

Laurel blushed and looked down at the sheets, twisting her fingers in the fabric. "Me too," she whispered.

Dinah grabbed her hands and Laurel looked up, her heart hammering in her chest. "Seriously, thank you for coming. I can't imagine missing out on getting to know you," she said earnestly.

Emotion clouded Laurel's eyes with tears and even in the low light Dinah saw it. "You okay?" she asked, her grip on Laurel's hands tightening.

Laurel nodded. "Can we cuddle now?" she asked.

Dinah's worry didn't cease at the change in subject, but she turned away from Laurel anyway and got under the blankets.

Laurel carefully rested her arm over Dinah's side and pulled her close. She wanted to pull their bodies close together- to hold DInah tight and make sure she was safe- but something was in the way.

"What do I do with my other arm?" she whispered.

Dinah chuckled, her anxiety temporarily forgotten, and helped Laurel to situate them comfortably.

Laurel actually felt something in her chest ease once they were settled. The world was still shit, but it hurt a little less when she was holding Dinah, keeping her safe. Their legs were tangled together, and their fingers were intertwined, and, "I love you," Laurel whispered.

Her heart plummeted into her stomach once she realized what she'd said and she immediately started to backtrack. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to say that, let's please just forget I-"

"Laurel shhh," Dinah interrupted. "I love you too," she said, squeezing Laurel's hand. "I love you too."

"Oh," Laurel whispered, her body slowly relaxing. Dinah shifted slightly to turn off the light, and when she moved her hand back she started tracing gentle circles on Laurel's palm with her thumb.

Laurel's breathing grew deeper to match Dinah's and she let her eyes fall shut.

"I can hear you heartbeat," she whispered, awed by the steady rhythm of it, the reminder that Dinah was there, and safe, and alive.

Dinah leaned further into Laurel's chest and her smile was audible in her voice when she said, "I can hear yours." She paused for a moment before adding, "It's fast."

"Yours is too," Laurel whispered, her brain struggling to process just how happy she was.

"I would kiss you but I don't want to mess up our cuddle," Dinah whispered.

Laurel smiled wide, tears pooling her eyes, and pressed a soft kiss to Dinah's shoulder.

It was in Dinah's bed, holding the woman she loved in her arms and knowing she was loved in return, that Laurel felt safe enough to left her body sleep- even after a mission.


End file.
